This year marks the 50th anniversary of Alto Adige DOC, one of Italy's most dynamic and quality-driven wine appellations. The Consorzio Alto Adige Wines celebrated this historic milestone at the 57th edition of Vinitaly, Italy's leading international wine and spirits exhibition held annually in Verona.
The celebration not only highlighted five decades of winemaking excellence, but also served as a platform for unveiling the region's most innovative efforts, such as the implementation of its UGA zoning project and the launch of new wine tourism initiatives designed to bring Alto Adige's stunning landscape even closer to wine lovers.
"The anniversary of the Alto Adige DOC marks an important milestone for our region, which has successfully built a strong, international identity," said, Eduard Bernhart, Director of the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines, "Although we are one of Italy's smallest wine regions, we offer an extraordinarily diverse landscape of territories, grape varieties, and microclimates. Over the years, the denomination has safeguarded the richness and diversity of our Alpine terroir. We look to the future with pride in the form of our zoning project and with many new ideas centered around wine tourism. Vinitaly provided an invaluable opportunity to share all of this."
First introduced with the 2024 vintage, the UGA zoning project marks a significant step toward expressing the uniqueness of Alto Adige's terroir. The initiative formally recognizes 86 meticulously defined vineyard areas as Additional Geographical Units (Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive, or UGAs), reinforcing the connection between wine and place while enhancing transparency and identity in the bottle.
The Consorzio also spotlighted a series of wine tourism initiatives designed to connect visitors more deeply with the region. Among them is the Wine & Bike Alto Adige Collection, an immersive program combining cycling and winery visits, accessible through the Komoot app.
Special ambassadors of the Wine & Bike project are Madeleine Puckette, founder of Wine Folly, and Aldo Sohm, Wine Director at New York's three Michelin-starred restaurant Le Bernardin. Both Madeleine and Aldo explored the Wine & Bike routes on custom bicycles designed by Italian artisan bike builder Officina Pegoretti, an experience that also inspired a short film.
These efforts underscore Alto Adige's commitment to sustainable growth, authenticity, and innovation — key values that have defined the region for 50 years and that continue to guide its vision for the future.
Press Release
Alto Adige DOC Marks 50 Years of Excellence at Vinitaly
